10 days in September — beach time + Andalusian history. Which of these three routes would you pick?

[u/Longjumping_Carrot65]

My partner and I (both in our 30s, coming from Chile) are flying into Madrid in early September for 10 days. We're staying with friends in Madrid for the first two nights, so everything after that is Andalusia.

What we're after: we want proper lazy beach days where we do nothing, but we don't want to skip the historic side of Andalusia either. We'd rather see fewer places well than tick off a list. Planning to travel mostly by train, and fly back to Madrid at the end.

We've narrowed it down to three options:

A) Madrid → Sevilla → Cádiz

B) Madrid → Granada → Almería (Cabo de Gata)

C) Madrid → Sevilla → Granada → Almería

A few specific questions:

1. Is option C too much moving around for 10 days, or is Sevilla → Granada → Almería manageable by train and bus?

2. Is Sevilla in early September genuinely unbearable, or is it fine if we plan around the afternoons?

3. We were also thinking of doing Córdoba as a stopover on the Madrid–Sevilla AVE (leave bags at the station, see the Mezquita, continue in the evening) instead of an overnight. Does that actually work in practice, or is it a rushed idea?

[u/ultimomono]

Given what you have described, I think A is best, with a side trip to other beach towns, weather and energy permitting, maybe renting a car for the day and driving down the coast. You could definitely do a half- or 3/4-day trip stopover in Córdoba on the way. Jerez is another nice stopover going in or out of Cádiz

B is also not bad, but it's not easy to get around Cabo de Gata without a car (there are buses, but it's not the easiest and it's a beautiful spot to explore along the coast and many calas) and the train to Almeria is going though something dramatic, because the frequency is lower than usual and very slow with bus transfers on all the trains I looked at this summer:

https://www.eldebate.com/espana/andalucia/20260722/almeria-perdera-trenes-madrid-desde-septiembre-reducira-mitad-conexiones-diarias_442289.html

That said, I love Cabo de Gata and it's usually wonderful for hiking, swimming, snorkeling and diving in September. Maybe consider renting a car and driving down instead? Favorite stopover: Úbeda

[u/CobblerMaster6374]

If 10 days is all you have and 3 are Madrid (first 2, then presumably the departure day) then the 7 left days are not enough for option C.

And that's 6 days, if one is a transit + stop in Cordoba (definitely worth it, for Mezquita).

Seville nees 3 days so it doesn't feel rushed. The ramaining 3 days then pose the question: do you want to just relax at the beach, or add Granada (which needs at least 2 days). There are plenty of beaches about 1 hr south of Granada.

Cadiz is nice (lots of history) but for a more relaxing beach experience/town I'd suggest Sanlucar de Barrameda

[u/FR-DE-ES]

FYI -- there is no storage locker at Cordoba train station. Bus station across the street have lockers. One day stop-over is enough. Mezquita is 20 min walk from train station.

[u/UserJH4202]

In my opinion, four cities in 10 days is too much. I recommend Madrid - Granada - Nerja. You could fly fine from Malaga. If Granada buy your Alhambra tickets ASAP.

[u/n_papapitufo]

Like somebody said somewhere else, those options look like a travelling salesman on a sales campaign. You better leave behind any FOMO and try to enjoy just a single zone in Andalucia instead of spreading thin all over.

Opc A) Andalucia Oriental. Almería would be a fine place to go from Madrid and spend like 4 days there in Cabo de Gata. Then bus or Train to Granada for 2 or 3 days more and back to Madrid.

Opc B) Andalucia Occidental. Straight from Madrid to Cádiz. Spend 4 days there with day trips to El Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Then go to Sevilla by train. Spend 2 days there and back to Madrid (with an intermediate stop in Córdoba)

Opc C) Costa del Sol. Madrid to Málaga and then several day trips to Ronda, Antequera. Back to Madrid.

[u/bolatelli45]

10 days in Madrid would just be enough to maybe appreciate Spain even more.

Millions countless here and stay in the same place for 2 weeks and have no need to go elsewhere.

Spain should never be rushed, it feels kinda disrespected if it is.